Page 39 of Ghost Ribbon

My voice had risen without me realizing it, louder than I ever spoke to anyone. I bit my lip hard, eyes widening as regret hit instantly. I dropped my gaze to his chest, voice softening back to its usual gentle tone. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to yell. I’m just… really exhausted. You have to understand that I can’t drop everything the second you demand it.”

“You’re sorry,” he murmured as if he was fascinated by those two words. “But you’re not wrong about one thing. I won’t let you breathe if you’re away from me.”

I shook my head, still caught in his grip. He wanted me around to break me. I could feel it. He had stood away for a year to terrorize me and now he was doing what he finally wanted, breaking into my life to end it.

“Come work for me.”

I blinked, trying to process. “What?”

“You need money. I’ll hire you. Problem solved. You get the money you’re so desperate to earn, and I get what I want. More of your time.”

I eyed him warily, searching his face for the trap I knew had to be there. My arms came up instinctively, hugging my chest protectively as if that could shield me from the intensity rolling off him. “Hire me as what, exactly?”

“As whatever I want.”

“Wh… what do you want?” I hugged myself tighter, suddenly hyper-aware of every inch of space between us, and how little there was.

Alexei chuckled. He leaned in closer, his breath brushing my ear. “You think I’m hiring you just to fuck you? Don’t worry, little star. I don’t need to pay you for that. I can spread your legs and bury my cock in you whenever I please.”

My eyes widened, shock ripping through me like ice water. “No you can’t!!!” The words burst out louder than I intended.

He tilted his head, dark eyes gleaming with amusement. “Are you asking for a demonstration right here on the sidewalk?”

“N-nooo,” I stuttered, the flush burning hotter as I shook my head quickly. My arms tightened around my chest, heart racing so fast I was sure he could feel it. “You… you can’t just say things like that. It’s not… we’re not…”

He looked thoroughly entertained now. “Back to the topic, then. Teach me Italian.”

I furrowed my eyebrows, latching onto the change like a lifeline, even as my mind still reeled from his previous words. “Why do you want to learn Italian?”

“Business related,” he replied smoothly, shrugging one shoulder. “You know the language. You’re perfect for it. So… is it a yes?”

“No—” I started, the refusal forming automatically, my gentle nature warring with the need to push back against his control.

Before I could finish, he cut in, voice dropping into that persuasive, commanding timbre that always seemed to wrap around my resolve and squeeze. “I pay better than that store ever could. Significantly better. And I won’t demand hours that interfere with your classes. Think about it, Marco. Think about your parents. Your mother. If they find out their sweet little boy has been skipping to work late shifts instead of focusing on his future… they won’t like it. They will worry. They will ask questions. Questions you don’t want to answer.”

I froze, staring at him. The protectiveness I felt toward my family surged forward, mixing with frustration. “Are you threatening me?”

“Maybe,” he said. “Or maybe I’m just reminding you of reality. You can’t keep this up forever. You’re exhausted. Say yes. We both win.”

I bit my lip, mind spinning. He was right. God, he was right, and I hated how easily he read me. I couldn’t sustain these shifts much longer without collapsing. My mom had already started noticing how tired I looked. If she found out the truth… it would break her heart.

Alexei’s offer dangled there like a lifeline wrapped in chains. Money without the crushing hours. But at what cost? More time under his gaze. More of this tension. More chances for him to push those dark, explicit boundaries he seemed to delight in testing.

“You twist everything until I have no choice. First you corner me after work, then you threaten my family with the truth. This isn’t fair.”

“Life with me isn’t meant to be fair, little star,” he murmured, leaning in until our foreheads nearly touched. His eyes held mine captive. “Say yes.”

My cheeks stayed blazing.

“I… I do need the money,” I admitted quietly, almost to myself.

Alexei’s smirk softened into something triumphant. “Smart boy. So is it a yes?”

I hesitated one final second, searching his face for any softness, any sign this wouldn’t swallow me whole. There wasn’t. Only possession. Only him. He was going to destroy me. I knew he was playing. He was angry I wasn’t there because he couldn’t feed off my fear. I was going to die at his hands. But at least maybe the money I would earn would help my parents. “Y… yes,” I finally whispered. “But only for the Italian lessons. And only if you keep your promises about school and not interfering too much. No more showing up at my house either, please.”

He chuckled again, one hand sliding up to cup the back of my neck gently, possessively. “We’ll negotiate the details later.”

I said yes. There was no taking it back now.